Path to Healing
As we focus on aftercare for our clients, it is important to share with you how that looks for us and the challenges we may face as we walk this journey with them. There really is no typical trafficking victim. So many factors are present when someone is in the process of working through intense, deep-seated trauma. So, let us look at an average case that may be handled by Beloved Haven.
Jane is 23 years old. She has a history of childhood sexual abuse by a family member. At thirteen, she met a 17-year-old boy who was charming. He told Jane everything a thirteen-year-old wants to hear. She was told she is pretty, smart, mature, and worthy. Jane spends all her free time with him and falls in love. After a few weeks, he convinces her to allow him to take intimate photos of her. She is happy in this relationship and equates all he does with love. At some point he asks her to do him a favor. He wants her to spend time with a friend of his. He owes this man money and does not have it. He promises it will only be one time. She loves him and she agrees. Afterwards he tells her how great she is and that he really loves her. He also tells her the encounter was recorded. He now has leverage, so when she refuses to be sold to strangers, he threatens to expose her.
She lives this life for the next 10 years. She develops a drug addiction, has two children that are now in the foster system, and her family has written her off as a “bad” kid.
When she reaches out to us, she comes to our Drop-In Center for food, clothing, and hygiene products. Not trusting anyone, she takes supplies and leaves. We see her again a few days later when she needs to come in out of the cold, and naps on our couch for a bit. This pattern is repeated until she stays longer, starts to open up to a staff member, and tells pieces of her story. Once she makes the tough decision to leave her trafficker and her situation, we collaborate with other agencies to find her safe, emergency shelter. She is given a support team and steps can begin to find her a place in a long-term program designed specifically for trafficking victims.
She may prefer a program out of state to eliminate threats to her safety or triggers. Before she can be transported, she needs identification. Jane was servicing men on her 16th birthday. There was no proud parent taking a picture of her with drivers’ license for their Facebook. We will need to take her to the DMV for an ID card. She has no home address or birth certificate. That will have to be ordered online. Jane has not seen a doctor or dentist in 10 years. She is having eye troubles and thinks she may have an STD. We will arrange appointments. She would love to get her GED, and maybe some college or trade classes can follow.
These are just the basics. The easy part. The tough part comes after. When she has quiet moments to sit with herself and reflect. The trauma rolls in like waves. The memories are there. The scars: emotional, psychological, and physical. Jane has been decimated by this life. She needs care, hope, comfort, and peace. She needs to be rebuilt. She is still 13. She is still a wounded girl. Trauma-centered therapy is key. She needs to see what a family can look like. She needs to see what a home can be. This process is long. It takes years.
Beloved Haven will walk alongside her and watch her growth. We will celebrate each milestone with her. We will be there if she needs us to help her restore her soul. We are hoping that soon, we will have a true home for Jane, and women like her, to settle in and complete this amazing journey. Please consider contributing to this mission.
